This is the third in a four-week series to help attendees explore Chicago. Please also visit Walking Tour One and Walking Tour Two.

My favorite way to explore a city is on foot. I think it has something to do with the experience of using all five of my senses in a way that driving (or boat-riding) tours just can’t match. (Not to mention that walking is good for Earth, good for you and good for your wallet. Well, potentially good for you and your wallet. I suppose that depends on your discipline when in such close proximity to Garrett Popcorn Shops.) This tour takes you throughout The Loop. So if you’ve planned a little extra time before or after BlogHer ’09, and were hoping to see a little bit of the city (believe me: there’s plenty to see), then I’ve got a juicy tidbit for you: Chicago walking tours.

BlogHer community member Cynthia Clampitt created three tours, and we couldn’t wait to share them with you. Each week leading up to the conference (July 2, 9, 16 and 22) we’ll publish them in this space for you, with a Tips and Fun Facts wrap-up. So whether you’re looking to get to know the Windy City better or just want to exercise (with a view), you can find it here.

Walking Tour #3: The Loop

(approximately one-half mile)

The Loop is the center of Chicago’s history, business, and politics. It is where the city’s first high-rises rose, where the first department stores opened, and where much of the city’s best-known monumental art lives. It is also where the elevated train, or “L”, makes a loop around the heart of downtown—though the name “The Loop” predates the elevated train, coming from a streetcar loop dating to 1882, the route of which the train simply followed.

The “L” itself is one of the city’s identifying features. The elevated train made its first full run around the Loop in 1897. (Cheap Thrill: for about $2, you can ride around the Loop on the "L". It offers some great views of the downtown area and lets you see handsome decorations originally added to buildings at L-level for the benefit of riders. But pick up a map at one of the stations, so you don’t end up leaving town.)

Heading west on Jackson, shortly after you cross State Street, you come to the Monadnock Building (53 W. Jackson). In 1893, when it was completed, it was the world's largest office building. At the time, it was remarkable for its simplicity of design. Some say that modern architecture began with the construction of this building. It is also a “crossroads” of old and new forms of construction. The north part is a masonry, wall-bearing structure—the last skyscraper to employ this method of construction. The stone walls had to support the weight of the building, and they are six-feet thick at the base. The south addition, however, is an early example of steel-frame construction, its underlying structure revealed through narrow piers and wide windows.

At 65 W. Jackson, you pass the Union League Club of Chicago. For more than a hundred years, this has been the place where people have gathered to plan important civic projects and organize the city’s social and philanthropic efforts.

In two more blocks, you reach LaSalle Street. This is one of Chicago’s most famous locales—where the money is. At the end of LaSalle, on Jackson, is the imposing Chicago Board of Trade, one of the city’s finest examples of Art Deco architecture. The Board of Trade is topped by a statue of Ceres, goddess of grain. On either side of La Salle Street are the Federal Reserve Bank and Bank of America, with nearly identical, Greek-revival façades. Turn north on La Salle, and look back to get the full impact of this bastion of currency.

Continuing north on La Salle, at Adams, you come to The Rookery. Completed in 1888, it is the oldest high-rise in Chicago that is still standing. The lobby was remodeled in 1905 by Frank Lloyd Wright, who simplified the ornate ironwork and added decorative touches that reflect his style. An open light court extends through the center of the building, down to the lobby skylight. On the west side of this court there is a semi-spiral staircase that is among the most commonly photographed architectural features in the city.

At Madison, you’ll see the One North LaSalle Building. This is one of the city’s premier examples of the soaring, streamlined skyscrapers built during the 1920s. It is also one of the city’s best surviving examples of the Art Deco style, with its dramatic silhouette and lavishly detailed entrance and lobby.

In another block, you come to City Hall. The main entrance on LaSalle Street is flanked by four relief panels sculpted in granite by John Flanagan and representing four features of municipal government: city playgrounds, public schools, the park system, and the water supply system. Inside the entrance, at landings on marble stairways to the right and left, are bronze tablets showing various city halls from 1837 to the present.

In the next block, at the corner of La Salle and Randolph, you come to the John R. Thompson Center, the location of the state’s government offices. Completed in 1985, the building’s futuristic design has long been controversial, drawing both criticism and praise. In front of the building is the 29-foot-high fiberglass sculpture Monument with Standing Beast by French artist Jean Dubuffet.

Turn right (east) on Randolph. In two blocks, you’ll reach Dearborn. Turn right again (south). You will come first to Daley Center. Built in 1965, this was the first major public building in Chicago to have a modern, rather than classical, architectural design. It is a particularly good example of International Style, based on the revolutionary steel and glass designs of Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. The Daley Center Plaza is home to the famous Chicago Picasso. Across the street, in a niche between buildings, Miro’s Chicago faces the Picasso. Continuing south, at Dearborn and Monroe, you will see the large Chagall Mosaic, Four Seasons.

At 140 S. Dearborn, you can view the Marquette Building. Built in 1895, it was remarkable for having a façade that clearly revealed its underlying structure—something that was not possible before steel became widely available. Its construction, with broad windows set in a framework of narrow piers and spandrels, was a major influence in the design of modern high-rise commercial buildings. The lobby is decorated with Tiffany mosaic panels.

At Adams and Dearborn, Calder’s Flamingo perches in front of the Chicago Federal Center. The Federal Center was designed by Mies van der Rohe, considered one of the pioneering masters of modern architecture.

If you still have some energy left, you can turn left on Adams and go to State Street (“that great street”) and turn north (left) again. This was once the city’s top shopping street, though it has been eclipsed by North Michigan Avenue in recent years. In two blocks, you’ll reach Madison. This corner, State and Madison, is where Chicago’s street numbers start. On this corner, at 1 S. State Street, is the old Carson Pirie Scott building. The store is now closed, but the building is a must see. This was among Louis Sullivan’s masterpieces, and the magnificent wrought-iron decoration on the front of the store appears in most art history books.

Across State Street from Carson’s is the Chicago Building, a well-known example of the architectural style known as the Chicago School. The building features an innovation that became known as the “Chicago window,” a window with a large central pane flanked by two smaller double-hung sash windows.

At 32 N. State Street, you come to the Reliance Building. Started in 1890, this building was viewed as being revolutionary. Even now, more than 100 years later, it is still recognized worldwide as the direct ancestor of today’s glass-and-steel skyscrapers.

Another block north, you will see a large, green clock that identifies the iconic Chicago department store formerly known as Marshall Field’s. Now owned by Macy’s, this is more than a store—it is a Chicago institution. Even if you’re not interested in shopping, or trying their famous Frango mints, you may still want to step inside. If nothing else, ask to be directed to the Tiffany ceiling—another dazzling Tiffany mosaic, this time in white, gold and shimmering blue. (Go to cosmetics and look up—the Tiffany ceiling is eight stories up.)

In the next block north is the Chicago Theater, sometimes called “The Wonder Theater of the World.” Opened in 1921, the theater is a palatial, French-Baroque confection of sweeping staircases, marble, murals, and crystal chandeliers. The façade reproduces the Arc de Triomphe, while the five-story-high lobby is modeled after the Royal Chapel at Versailles. The six-story-tall “C-H-I-C-A-G-O” sign and theater marquee are landmarks and symbols of both State Street and the city.
If you're exhausted from the walking tour, catch a cab back to the hotel. Otherwise, the walk is just under a mile. From the Chicago Theater, head north on State Street and turn east (right) on Water Street. The Sheraton Chicago Hotel and Towers is located at Water Street and Columbus Drive.

This tour concludes the three walking tours. We hope you will enjoy discovering Chicago - new and old - with its wealth of history, architecture, restaurants and shopping. Stay tuned next week for tips and fun facts about visiting and exploring the Windy City.